Writing this is like the story of a woman train passenger who witnessed Salvador Dali sketch a remarkable portrait. When she expressed surprise and amazement at how quickly he had drawn it, he remarked that while it was true that it had only taken him two minutes, it was equally true that it had taken him his whole life. In other words, you can say such-and-such happened on a certain date, but that event had a whole history of its arising.
Another way of looking at history is like this. You might have seen a Virginia Creeper – that’s a climbing plant – that snakes its way up walls of houses and churches, clinging to it with its feelers. The analogy with history is that what we see happening today – they’re the ends of each of the strands of that Virginia Creeper. But those tips are the terminal points of long tentacles that stretch into the ground, and whose origins are hidden beneath the soil, in the mists of history. So, we might admire the end results of history, but do we know its genesis?
Having made these qualifying remarks about a five-minute history post, here it is:
The immediate backstory to the novel is this.
1206 A.D. Genghis Khan is declared supreme ruler of the Mongol tribes. Remember, these are a bunch of illiterate, nomadic shepherds, who are united by Genghis’ vision to bring together the whole world under their god, Tengri, who resides in the eternal blue sky.
1209-1215 Genghis Khan’s army invades China, which was weakened by having been split in two: the Jin in the north and the Song in the South.
1218-1221 Genghis Khan invades Central Asia. Otrar, Samarkand and Bukhara all fall. The area is renamed Moghulistan (NB ‘Stan’ is Persian for ‘land’). The Mongols open up the Silk Road for travellers and trade. They form the world’s first postal system, a series of staging posts called the Yam, where riders can get fresh horses, and cover up to 200 miles in a day.
The history behind the novel itself is as follows.
July 1338 – The Chinese Astrological Year of the Tiger – the first case of the Black Plague occurs in the Chuy Valley, Moghulistan. The people of the time have no idea how it spreads. Some like Karia, the heroine of the novel, flee the area by joining a caravan heading west along the Silk Road. The governing influences of the time are deeply religious and so many people believe the plague is a punishment from God.
Spring 1339 – The plague reaches Tashkent, the City of Stones. Karia is forced to flee, joining the next caravan heading west.
May 1340 – The plague, carried by fleas on rats, encroaches into Samarkand, the City of Oases.
September 1340 – The plague reaches the Ark of Bukhara, aka God’s Fascination, and home to the Whirling Dervishes, an esoteric Islamic sect famous for their spiritual dancing.
March 1341 – The plague hits the City of Āmul.
July 1341 – The walls of Khiva and Ichon-Qala, its inner city, are breached by the plague.
July 1342 – Then it arrives in Little Saray on the delta of the Ural River.
August 1342 – And then onto Old Saray on the Volga River, where Öz Beg is the Khan of the Golden Horde, the western wing of the Mongol Empire.
September 1343 –An incident with a Mongol notary in Tanais on the Don River has fatal repercussions.
August 1346 - The battle of Crecy is fought between King Edward III’s English troops and King Philip VI’s French troops.
Autumn 1346 – The Crimean port of Kaffa on the Black Sea is besieged by the Mongol army, who eventually retreat when the plague ravages their numbers.
August 1347 – The English siege of the French port of Calais finally succeeds.
October 1347 – The plague reaches the Sicilian port of Messina.
Winter 1347 – The French port of Bordeaux is breached by the plague.
23 April 1348 – King Edward III institutes the prestigious chivalric Order of the Garter.
24 June 1348 – In the Chinese Astrological Year of the Rat (it had to be, didn’t it?) – the plague arrives on a ship from Gascony at the port of Melcombe Regis, near Weymouth.
July 1348 – Because the cemetery is full, the clergy direct the villagers to dig plague pits and erect Posy Trees. The pestilence devastates the towns and villages, fields and meadows of the land.
The map shows its spread along the Silk Road, across the Caspian and the Mediterranean
Seas, to England.
Justin Newland
3rd July, 2026.
The Spirit of the Times
By Justin Newland
Publication Date: July 28th, 2026
Publisher: Troubador Publishing
Pages: 264
Genre: Historical Fiction
From a land of milk,
And a Road of Silk,
To a ring of roses,
And a dance of posies,
Comes the tale of the spirit of the times!
In fourteenth-century Central Asia, Karia is a young woman living under the yoke of Mongol occupation. But she’s different. She’s a fighter with supernatural powers. She could use them to keep the Black Plague at bay and solve the mystery of the purple skies at dawn – if only she could overcome her self-doubt.
Travelling in caravans on the Silk Road, she faces dangers seen and unseen – from sandstorms and slave traders to the desert djinn and folk who believe she’s a witch. She fears losing Abi, her little cousin, who’s fascinated by roses and the dance of the Whirling Dervishes of Bukhara.
When Karia falls in love with an English sailor fleeing the Knights Hospitaller, they sail to England with Abi to unravel the meaning of the purple skies, a dance, a posy tree, and a ring of roses.
The Spirit of the Times is part history, part fiction and part speculation: on the origin of disease; the power of innocence; the unfortunate aspects of custom and dogma; and humanity’s ability to respond to the governing influence or spirit of the times.
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Music that inspired the novel, and which beautifully evokes the Steppes of Central Asia:
Justin Newland
Justin Newland's novels represent an innovative blend of genres, from historical adventure to supernatural thriller and magical realism.
Undeterred by the award of a doctorate in mathematics from Imperial College, London, he conceived his debut novel, The Genes of Isis (Matador, 2018), an epic fantasy set under Ancient Egyptian skies. Next came The Old Dragon’s Head (Matador, 2018), set in Ming Dynasty China in the shadows of the Great Wall.
The Coronation (Matador, 2019) features the Great Enlightenment and speculates on the genesis of the most important event in the modern world – the Industrial Revolution. The Abdication (Matador, 2021) is a mystery thriller in which a young woman confronts her faith in a higher purpose and what it means to abdicate that faith.
At this point in his writing career, after four self-published books, Justin was offered a part-funded contract with the Book Guild.
The Mark of the Salamander (Book Guild, 2023) is the first in a two-book ‘The Island of Angels’ series. It tells the epic tale of England’s coming of age during the Elizabethan era. The second in the series, The Midnight of Eights (Book Guild, 2024), charts the uncanny coincidences of time and tide that culminated in the repulse of the Spanish Armada.
His latest novel, The Spirit of the Times (Matador, 2026), is to be published in July. It tells the story of a young Kyrgyz woman’s journey westwards along the Silk Road. With purple skies at dawn, and a supporting cast of Genghis Khan, the Black Plague, a perplexing rhyme, a ring of roses, it explores the greatest mystery of all – the spirit of the times.
Justin’s enduring passion is to explore the origins of our current time. This prompted a broad research into what we’ve inherited from history – encompassing Egypt, China, Prussia and Tudor England.
He also writes entertaining talks which he gives to the WI, U3A, Probus, Rotary and local historical associations. Please visit his website for a current list of the talks.
Alongside the talks, Justin promotes his work with regular book signings at TG Jones (ex. WH Smith) high street stores, selling over 3,500 books since 2019. He has sponsored over 40 UK and US blog tours, given frequent radio interviews and penned many guest posts.
His current book signing motto is: Enjoy, Imagine, Discover.
As a member of the Society of Authors, he has Public and Products Liability Insurance.
Born in Essex, England, three days before the end of 1953, he lives with his lady in plain sight of the Mendip Hills in Somerset, England.
Connect with Justin:
Website • Facebook • Instagram
Amazon Author Page • BookBub • Goodreads
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